LeBron James reveals why Bronny is 'the complete opposite of his dad' and how his new Lakers teammate will cope with pressure of the NBA

LeBron James has highlighted a crucial difference between him and his son Bronny - one that he believes will help his new Lakers teammate crack the NBA: 'He doesn't give a f***'

Bronny, LeBron's eldest son, was selected by Los Angeles with the 55th overall draft pick last month. 

They are now the first father-son duo to ever play in the NBA, with Bronny thrust into the spotlight despite only playing one year at college.

The 19-year-old is not expected to reach anywhere near the dizzying heights scaled by his father but LeBron insists Bronny has a weapon he lacked when entering the league.

'I don't know if people really understand Bronny,' James told ESPN. 'He doesn't care. I actually care a little bit. 

'When I came in (as a rookie), I wanted people to like me and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career... he doesn't give a f***.

'He does not care about nobody. He doesn't even listen to that stuff. He's like the coolest. He's like the complete opposite of his dad. 

'His dad will say something (to address the critics). Bro does not care... everything that's being said about him, he really does not care.'

Bronny missed the Lakers' second game of the California Classic against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday evening after suffering from swelling in his knee.

But his father, who has broken the billion-dollar barrier during a remarkable career, paid tribute to the teenager's resilience after he reached the NBA despite growing up amid luxury and expectation.

'Just imagine if you were a kid, you were born into a situation where your dad was super famous, super wealthy and you the kid still had the drive to want to be able to accomplish things for yourself,' LeBron continued. 

'I personally don't know if I would've been able to do that if the roles were reversed. When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice... I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city.'

Bronny's basketball career was plunged into doubt last year when he collapsed during practice and suffered a cardiac arrest. 

LeBron added: 'The commitment for him to be coming out of heart surgery less than a year ago, for him to be able to be in the NBA, the kid, he's special. But he doesn't care. He doesn't. It doesn't bother him.'